


The Dragon’s Call: An Epic Journey

by MagicLia16



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Essay, Gen, not really a fanfic, proud accomplishment, still interesting though, written for someone who hasn’t watched Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24629287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicLia16/pseuds/MagicLia16
Summary: An essay about how the epic/hero’s journey fits into the pilot episode of our favorite magical tv show! :)
Kudos: 5





	The Dragon’s Call: An Epic Journey

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I had a school project this year that had us write about the epic journey in a movie or TV show. I chose Merlin since it’s my absolute favorite show of all time, and was a good example of how the epic journey works. 
> 
> Quick thing to note before reading:  
> \- The epic journey is also known as the hero’s journey and can be found in many stories. A common example used to show this is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I probably would have picked that to do, if my teacher hadn’t excluded it as an option because it was too obvious.  
> \- I also made a powerpoint that goes along with it if you’d like to check it out:  
> https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cm6f1cdnv3xxjA5seJk5SeMS5Pqeg79lFhJJi8-Nff4/edit?usp=sharing
> 
> Now get reading! I hope you enjoy!

The Epic of Merlin

 _Merlin,_ a BBC TV show that first aired in 2008, is a new take on the Arthurian legends. The TV show covers the beginning of Merlin’s and Prince Arthur’s relationship, with Merlin as a simple servant in Camelot. The first episode, “The Dragon’s Call,” shows Merlin’s arrival in Camelot, and how he meets Arthur. It begins their epic adventure, but is also an epic itself. 

Merlin had an unusual birth. He was born with magic and could use it instinctively before he could do anything else. Others with the ability to wield magic often didn't discover it until they were adults, and even then, they had to train for years in order to use it properly. Merlin’s ability to use it instinctively was unheard of and incredibly dangerous; Camelot is a kingdom that bans magic on penalty of death. If anyone were to find out about his gifts, he would not be allowed to live. 

Because of Merlin’s magical abilities, his mother sends him to live with Gaius, Camelot’s court physician, who she hopes can help him control it. Merlin crosses the threshold the moment he enters the castle. He is completely out of his element. Having only known wood houses and dirt floors, a giant stone castle is very different. Everything is so much bigger and brighter; the people look like they have more food to eat. He can tell that his life is about to change by entering this new place. 

Within his first few minutes in Camelot, Merlin witnesses the execution of a sorcerer. It is then that he realizes just how much danger he is in while there. The mother of the previously killed sorcerer makes a grand entrance after King Uther kills her son, and vows to kill Prince Arthur to make Uther pay. This is Merlin’s call to adventure. He does not realize it yet, as he is too busy trying to escape danger, but his call is to save Prince Arthur from the witch. He won’t accept that call until later in the episode. 

Merlin’s first test, in a series of tests, comes after he meets Gaius. Though he’s in Camelot to learn to control his magic, he must also work in the castle. His cover is that he’s Gaius’s assistant, and that includes running errands for him around the castle. Merlin is sent to deliver medicines to all matter of nobles and must figure out how to do it. He struggles to find his way around Camelot and makes a few mistakes delivering the remedies. As he is exploring the castle, he comes across knights in training, and sees one of them mistreating his servant by throwing knives at a target that the servant was holding, while making fun of the servant. Merlin puts a stop to the harassment and gives the knight a talking-to. He insults the knight and the knight insults him back. Eventually it leads to Merlin throwing a punch at the knight, who then reveals that he’s Prince Arthur.

Because he stood up to the prince, Merlin is thrown into the dungeons. This is the episode’s unhealable wound because Merlin feels like he will never get out. He’s only been in Camelot for a day, and has already been thrown in the dungeons. Merlin has just helped a servant who was being mistreated, but he has to pay the consequences for how he handled it. In an oscillating narrative, this is very important because it shows the ups and downs that happen in real life. Not everything that a person does is good, despite their intentions, and sometimes what’s meant to be good can be taken too far. Merlin is imprisoned because he stood up for the servant and to Prince Arthur who he was not even supposed to look at. No story is interesting without both trials and triumphs; otherwise, there is nothing accomplished. When something goes wrong, the only thing to do is get up again and make it better. 

Thankfully, Gaius manages to “pull a few strings” to get Merlin out of the dungeons, but Merlin still has to serve some kind of punishment and his second test: the stocks. Merlin has to spend three hours locked up, bent over, with kids throwing rotten fruit at his face. While he is stuck there, a maid wanders up to him and introduces herself as Guinevere. She thanks him for standing up to the prince because she thinks he’s a bully. They continue to talk, and throughout the rest of the episode she is very friendly to Merlin, and she helps him feel more at home in the new place. Guinevere is his friend on the journey. 

Later that day, once Merlin is released from the stocks and gets cleaned up, he continues to run errands for Gaius and meets this episode’s dark feminine, as well as faces another test. A dark feminine is a woman the epic hero encounters and who is most always evil. One of his tasks is to deliver medicine to the visiting singer, Lady Helen, to help her voice stay healthy. When he gets to her rooms, he discovers some old books with strange writing and sees that she’s covered the mirror. He takes an interest into what she’d been doing because they seem almost magical. He pokes around her things for a little while and is still at it when she comes back. They have a tension filled moment when they first meet, and it seems as if they have a stare-off. Merlin quickly leaves the room so as not to push the clearly on-edge woman, but decides to keep an eye on her. 

From there, Merlin heads back to Gaius’ chambers, but takes a route through the lower town. There he crosses paths with Prince Arthur again, and faces another test. They exchange insults, and both clearly dislike the other. Arthur, determined to prove himself against the smart-mouthed servant, challenges Merlin to a mace duel. Merlin has never dealt with a mace before, so he uses magic to sabotage Arthur’s attacks. Merlin nearly wins against him, until he sees Gaius in the crowd and hesitates. The prince uses that moment to give Merlin another beating and win the fight. He lets Merlin go, since there was “something about him.” Because Arthur lets Merlin go, Merlin still technically passes this test, even though he does not win against Arthur. 

Once Arthur leaves, Gaius drags Merlin back to their chambers and gives him a stern talking-to, which leads them into another test; a fight about how magic should be used. The fight gets so intense that it leads Merlin to say, “If I can’t have magic, I might as well die.” As soon as he says this, he retreats to his room to sulk. Gaius, shocked by what his ward had just said, helps the only way he can, and takes some medicine into Merlin’s room to treat his wounds from the fight. Merlin reconciles with Gaius, and seeks information about why he’s so powerful. Gaius says that he does not know, but encourages Merlin to continue to seek answers. 

That night, Merlin is awoken from sleep by a voice calling his name through telepathy. Merlin follows the voice to the dungeons. There, he discovers that the source of the voice is a dragon. The dragon can see the future, and gives Merlin his supernatural help. He tells Merlin about how it’s his destiny to work with Prince Arthur to bring about the land of Albion, and how Merlin must also protect Arthur from magical threats that could prevent their success. 

The next day goes by with lots of preparations for that night’s feast, which Merlin attends as a server. When it’s well underway, Lady Helen begins to sing, since she is the feast’s entertainment, and thus begins the final battle and Merlin’s final test. The song she sings is a beautiful, yet haunting tune. As she sings, the attendees begin to fall asleep. As soon as he notices, Merlin claps his hands over his ears to stop hearing the sound. Once everyone has been put to sleep, she raises a dagger to throw it at the prince. Merlin drops the chandelier onto her to stop her. Everyone begins to wake up, but the sorceress is not dead. She has just enough energy left to throw her dagger at Prince Arthur. Merlin sees this, and uses his magic to slow time just enough to pull Arthur out of the dagger’s path. Merlin and Arthur stand up, and Merlin receives a round of applause. King Uther, shockingly, comes over to thank Merlin for what he did. Everyone is very glad that Prince Arthur is not dead. 

For his service to the royal family, Merlin is rewarded with a place in ‘Camelot’s Royal Household’ as Prince Arthur’s manservant. Neither Merlin or Arthur are too happy about this, since they still don’t like each other much, but it will pay off for the two of them in the end, because this one reward creates a friendship of a lifetime. 

Merlin has discovered that he can survive in Camelot as a regular, non-magical servant, as well as Camelot’s secret, protective sorcerer. Also, being in the position of the prince’s manservant makes that role even easier, since he has access to more than a normal servant would. He has become the master of both the magical and non-magical worlds. 

After the feast is done, Merlin and Gaius have their own talk about what happened and how life would continue for them from then on. For saving Arthur’s life, Gaius gifts Merlin his own book of magic. Though it is a reward for his heroics, it is also a symbol of Gaius’s approval of Merlin’s continual study of magic. It will open doors for him into the unknown of spells, beasts, and other amazing things. This begins the path of a powerful sorcerer. 

The show comes to the end. Merlin has defeated the evil sorceress and has taken his place beside Arthur. This relates to Merlin’s identity, because this moment solidifies his place for the next ten years of his life. His role as Arthur’s manservant and secret protector becomes who he is. This first episode, and the epic journey that takes place throughout, sets the stage for all that is to come: dangers, friendships, hardships to get through, his blooming love-hate relationship with Arthur, and lessons to learn. Even in the most magical and world-bending situations, they’re still human. They’re still people and they act like it. They are grounded, they grow, and they make the world a better place. 

References 

“The Dragon’s Call” _Merlin,_ Written by Julian Jones, Produced by Julie Gardner, BBC. 20 Sept. 2008

“Merlin (2008 TV Series).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(2008_TV_series).

“The Dragon's Call.” Merlin Wiki, merlin.fandom.com/wiki/The_Dragon's_Call. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this far! I’m quite proud of this essay and I am glad that I got to share it with the Merlin community. :)


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